The name “chickpea” traces back through the French chiche to cicer, Latin for ‘chickpea’,chickpeas have been found in the aceramic levels,The plant grows to between 20–50 cm (8–20 inches) high and has small feathery leaves on either side of the stem.
There are two main kinds of chickpea:
1.Desi, which has small, darker seeds and a rough coat, cultivated mostly in the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iran.
2.Kabuli, which has lighter coloured, larger seeds and a smoother coat, mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Chile, also introduced during the 18th century to the Indian subcontinent
Mature chickpeas can be cooked and eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, ground into a flour called gram flourDried chickpeas need a long cooking time (1–2 hours) but will easily fall apart when cooked longer. If soaked for 12–24 hours before use, cooking time can be shortened by around 30 minutes.
